SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, APRIL 25. 



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Society on March 28, opinion was very much divided as to whether 

 any such deterioration occurred or not, and this divergence of opinion 

 was also apparent in the letters read to the Committee on the 11th inst. 

 One writer, I think, even went so far as to say that because varieties of 

 vines, such as ' Black Hamburgh,' or varieties of bananas, &c, never vary 

 or deteriorate from year to year, therefore no deterioration could take place 

 in other plants, such as potatoes. Another expressed the opinion that 

 because certain varieties of potatoes, such as the ' Ashleaf,' may be as 

 good now as when first introduced, this in itself proved that the same was 

 true of all other potatoes. 



"It was even suggested that one reason why the deterioration of 

 potatoes was so much spoken of was in order to create a demand for 

 newly-introduced varieties at much higher prices than the older sorts, 

 which, according to the writer (or speaker), would have been as good now 

 as they were at first if they had received the same careful and liberal treat- 

 ment always accorded to high-priced novelties. It is not conceivable that 

 any merchant whose reputation depended upon the introduction of potatoes 

 of sterling merit would discard a sort which continued to maintain its 

 original quality and productiveness, in view of the fact that many seedlings 

 do certainly deteriorate rapidly. There are, however, noteworthy excep- 

 tions. The ' Ashleaf ' is certainly one which has ' come to stay,' and 

 the ' Early Eose ' is perhaps more widely grown in Europe now than 

 at any period of its existence. ' Magnum Bonum ' has also a record 

 almost unequalled, and under certain aliases may have continued longer 

 in general cultivation than has been supposed. The old ' Redskin 

 Flourball ' is another notable case of long-continued productiveness ; 

 the 1 Maincrop ' potato, a beautifully-formed white kidney, raised by 

 Mr. James Clark, of Christchurch, Hants, about thirty years ago, is 

 still one of the most profitable potatoes grown in the east of Scotland for 

 the London market. The 1 Maincrop ' does not yield, and never has 

 yielded, so heavily as some varieties, but the quality is uniformly good. 

 The 1 Langworthy ' very closely resembles ' Maincrop ' in these and other 

 characteristics. ' Sutton's Early Regent ' and ' Sutton's Ringleader,' both 

 raised by Mr. Robert Fenn, have been widely grown for more than twenty 

 years, and show little, if any, signs of deterioration. ' Sutton's Discovery,' 

 so far, has not shown any sign of deterioration, no single case of a diseased 

 tuber having yet been recorded, as far as I am aware, in England. 



" I have nevertheless no hesitation whatever in affirming that all who 

 have had much experience in raising and introducing seedling potatoes 

 know perfectly well that it is not a question whether potatoes do or do 

 not deteriorate : the great question in introducing a seedling potato is 

 whether it possesses such a constitutional vigour as will enable it to 

 maintain its productiveness and ' quality ' for a reasonable number of 

 years. A potato seed-berry may contain from two to three hundred 

 fertile seeds, and no two of these are likely to produce plants exactly 

 identical. As great variation will be seen in the shape of the tubers, the 

 colour of the skin, the depth of the eyes, the colour of the flesh, the 

 colour, form, character, and height of the foliage ; the time of maturity, 

 whether medium, early, or late ; and the degree of productiveness. It is 

 equally true that a similar variation exists as to the extent to which the 



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